[sumo] Yokozuna Trivia Quiz

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

you must have been waiting for the first Annual
Jonosuke's Rikishi Trivia Quiz with bated breath and
whispering humbleness. 

So without further ado, here's Rikishi Triivia "Who Am
I" Yokozuna Special:


1. After retiring, he studied Business Administration
at Waseda University while running an inn. He also
became a sumo columnist with a sports newspaper.

2.After retiring, he run for Japanese Parliament
(lost), worked as an insurance salesman and a private
detective among other works.

3. He was never interested in sumo nor had any wish to
join Ozumo but agreed to join after being promised to
be flown to Tokyo. He desparately wanted to get on a
plane to go to Tokyo. In his view that was the coolest
thing.

4. He was mistaken for a new recruit arriving on Ueno
train station and was taken to a sumo beya by a couple
of rikishis. He came to Tokyo to go to school but the
heya's 
okamisan convinced him sumo was better suited to him.

5. His older brother gave up joining Ozumo with his
two friends and they later became sekitoris. Seeing
their success, the younger brother wanted more than
anything else 
to step on the dohyo himself one day. 

6. He was once considered to have a bright future in
Amercian Football but joined Ozumo instead because he
was told he still could play football when he got
older but he could only do sumo while he was still
young.

7. Having heard the harsh environment of Ozumo, he was
reluctant to join. He lied saying he had a bad foot
injury. But then he was told by an oyakata, former
yokozuna, "Don't worry there are good doctors in
Tokyo. Besides I already bought you a tonight's train
ticket to Tokyo in sleeping cabin."

8. He was "discovered" while working at a "Sento",
Japasese public bathhouse, in Ryogoku. Initially
declined to join, he finally decided to join after the
oyakata came to the bathhouse every day to persuade
him. 

9. He was never interested in sumo but changed his
mind after seeing his middle school class mate joining
Ozumo. He didn't look up to the yokozunas of his days
but his friend 
who was getting bigger and stronger after joining. His
friend finished his career by reaching a Makuuchi
while he became Yokozuna. 

10. Originally his birthplace was announced as "Kobe"
as that's the place he landed to join Ozumo by
smuggling himself in a freighter ship as a stowaway. 


Answers =============== >>>>> Below

1. Onishiki Uichiro - 26th Yokozuna
2. Minanogawa Touzou - 34th Yokozuna
3. Chiyonofuji Mitsugu - 58th Yokozuna
4. Yoshibayama Junnosuke - 43rd Yokozuna
5. Asashoryu Akinori - 68th Yokozuna
6. Musashimaru Koyo - 67th Yokozuna
7. Takanosato Toshihide - 59th Yokozuna
8. Haguroyama Masaji - 36th Yokozuna 
9. Tochinoumi Teruyoshi - 49th Yokozuna 
10. Asashio Taro - 46th Yokozuna


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1. Onishiki Uichiro - 26th Yokozuna
Born: Nov. 25, 1891
Died: May 13, 1949 (49 years old)
Dohyo Debut: January 1910.
Retired: January 1923

For a rikshi in his days, Onishiki was well educated
as he went to Tenouji Middle School in Osaka. He sent
a letter asking Hitachiyama requesting to join the
heya written in"Romaji". He got a reply back written
in "Romaji" and that made him decide to join the heya.


As a small rikishi (175 cm tall, 140 kg), he used to
defeat his opponents with speed and sharp tsuri/yori
technique. He made Makuuchi in 10 bashos from
Jonokuchi and then six bashos later he was promoted to
yokozuna.

He was well spoken and intelligent and often found
himself at odds with other rikishis 
often with little education and coming from rural and
poor background. 

He saved wisely and opened "Hosokawa Ryokan Inn"
(Hosokawa is his real name) in Tokyo's Tsukiji area
while studying Political Economy at Waseda University.
He also worked at a pharmaceutical company as well as
writing sumo columns for Hochi Shimbun newspaper. He
may have been the most erudite yokozuna of all.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2. Minanogawa Touzou - 34th Yokozuna
Born: Sep. 17, 1903
Died: Jan. 20, 1971 (67 years old)
Dohyo Debut: January 1924
Retired: January 1942

Books can be written on Minanogawa's life (and it has)
as his life was filled with trials 
and tribulations. He was tall and big (191 cm tall and
146 kg) but he never was a 
dominant yokozuna (his best record was 11 wins and 2
losses). 

His shikona comes from a river in his native Ibaraki
and the first kanji character is 
"man" and the second is "woman". Not many Japanese can
read these two kanjis put together with "Kawa" (river)
to read Minanogawa. 

After he left the Kyokai, he moved from one job to
another, never finding any permanent work. He worked
as an door to door insurance salesman as well as a
private detective among many others. Later in his
life, after he became ill and his wife and children
left him. He was taken to a seniors home and even
received a sum of money from the Kyokai but he used it
up quickly. 

A sumo supporter seeing his predicament gave him a job
at his restaurant as a check-in clerk taking care of
customers shoes at the entrance and a place to stay.
The customers must have been surprised to learn the
man taking care of their shoes was a former yokozuna.
He died penniless. 

Whatever misfortune befalling him, it's been said, he
never got dejected nor lost his own self-dignity and
pride as yokozuna. He was an original in always
believing, "there is always a tomorrow" (or "Ashita Ga
Arusa" in Japanese). 

I seem to recall posting his story on the mailing list
sometime ago but can't find it now at banzuke.com so
it must have been my illusion. Sorry about that,
Minanogawa.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

3. Chiyonofuji Mitsugu - 58th Yokozuna
Born: Jun 1, 1955
Dohyo Debut: September 1970
Retired: May 1993

Born eldest son of fisherman, he excelled in a variety
of sports growing up. He often placed first in
regional track meets while going to middle school.
When he was in Grade 7, he had an appendectomy surgery
at a hospital. The doctor seeing his quick recovery
power contacted a supporter of Chiyonoyama. 

Kokonoe oyakata came over to meet him but Chiyonofuji
hated sumo and his parents were vehemently against him
joining Ozumo. The oyakata promised him that he would
fly him over to Tokyo and could go to a school there
(incidentally he went to Meiji Nakano, later known as
the school that Taka/Waka/Tochiazuma attended) while
learning sumo. 

He wanted to be on plane so he took up the offer.
Chiyonofuji shikona came from the mix of Chiyonoyama
and Kitanofuji and it's the first five character
shikona in sumo history. 

He had dislocated shoulder injuries often and fell to
Makushita from Makuuchi. Since then he started his
legendary training regimen of over 1,000 push-ups and
hours of weight training daily.

One time he used to smoke over 40 cigarettes a day but
one day Takanohana suggested to Kokonoe oyakata to get
him to stop smoking. Hearing this, he threw his
beloved Gold Dunhill lighter into Sumida River and
went cold turkey. "I didn't realize that the Ozeki
whom I respected so much was so concerned about my
health," Chiyonofuji said.

Chiyonofuji accomplished over 20 Yushos, 53
consecutive wins and over 1000 career wins (the first
in sumo history to achieve this record). He declined
the Kyokai's offer of one generation Toshiyori and
took Jinmaku Toshiyori after his retirement.
Subsequently he succeeded Toshiyori Kokonoe. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4. Yoshibayama Junnosuke - 43rd Yokozuna
Born: Apr 3, 1920
Died: Jan. 20, 1977 (57 years old)
Dohyo Debut: May 1938
Retired: January 1958

Here's another rikishis that appendectomy affected his
rikishi life. Yoshibayama almost lost his life when he
suffered an appendicitis but saved by Dr. Shosaku
Yoshiba and to show his appreciation, he renamed his
shikona.

Yoshibayama was working for a sugar factory in
Hokkaido but felt he needed a better 
education so he took a train to Tokyo but then he was
mistaken for a new recruit supposed to be arriving on
the same train to Ueno Station in Tokyo and was taken
to Takashima Beya.

Yoshibayama once said he cried twice in his life. One
was at his Yusho parade after the Hatsu Basho in 1954,
when a blizzard hit Tokyo and is known as "the Zensho
(all victory and no loss) March in Snow". Another was
in 1958 when he announced his retirement after 17
bashos as yokozuna (he became yokozuna at the age of
32) but succumbing to ankle injuries without winning
any Yusho as yokozuna. 

The injuries were attributed to old war wounds. He was
called in to a war duty just prior to his Juryo
promotion and spent four years. He was considered to
be lost forever and his heya even de-listed his name.
When he miraculuously came back to the heya from the
war, he was so skinny that they thought they were
seeing a ghost. 

But he rebuilt his physique by eating and through hard
training not only to get back to his previous rank but
proceeded to become a yokozuna. 

Despite having not so stellar record as a yokozuna,
Yoshibayama was extremely popular rikishi in his time
with patently good looks (often compared with a well
known Kabuki actor) and his "ex-soldier making it big"
story in the years right after the World War II when
the people were still struggling to eck out a
reasonable living. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

5. Asashoryu Akinori - 68th Yokozuna
Born: Sep 27, 1980
Dohyo Debut: January 1999

He started Judo while he was going to middle school in
Mongolia and within a year he won the middle school
championship. At the age of 15, he started Mongolian
sumo and finished first in the youth championship. 

When he was 17, he was selected to study as an
exchange student at Meitoku Gijutsu High School with
his Judo club friend (Asasekiryu) out of 200
candidates. At Meitoku, he finished third at All Japan
High School Sumo Championship but left the school to
join Wakamatsu Beya as he became ineligible to enter
the championship the following year due to age limit. 

He also wanted to follow Kyokushuzan who became a
national hero in Mongolia at the time. Kyokushuzan
became a very popular rikishi after arriving in Japan
with his heya mates Kyokutenho and Kyokutenzan (both
Kyokutenho and Kyokutenzan have applied for Japanese
citizenship since). I believe Oshima oyakata brought
five recruits from Mongolia initially. There is a
famous story of them all escaping to the Mongolian
Embassy in the middle of night. 

Asahoryu's shikona was named after Shoryu-ji temple
(near his school) 
http://shikoku-net.co.jp/88/8836.htm
and his high school (his given name uses the same two
kanjis as "Meitoku" but to read "Akinori". The shikona
was given to him by the Meitoku High School principle.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6. Musashimaru Koyo - 67th Yokozuna
Born: Sep 27, 1971
Dohyo Debut: January 1989
Retired: November 2003

As a fifth child with his father working as a cleaner,
his family was often financially 
strained. He started playing American football still
in elementary school and as high 
school student he played a defensive end. He had an
ambition of making it in pro and was scouted by
colleges. But he hated to study and his family's
financial situation also got him to consider another
option. 

At the time Muashimaru was also doing greco-roman
style wrestling. Through a Japanese Olympic Gold
medalist in wrestling, he was introduced to someone
connected with Musashigawa Beya and was asked to try
out. 

However once he arrived, he was given a two month
probation at the heya to learn the culture and
language. The heya just had another Hawaiian recruit
"Musashibo" escaping from the heya only after staying
for four months. 

Initially he favored Tsuki or Hidari-yotsu style
technique but after he injured his left 
shoulder in 1996, he started to use his right and push
with his whole body. He has been always consistent. 

He made a Shochu (Japanese liquor) in Kagoshima by
using Taro potato his late father grew and said he
would only drink it once he became a yokozuna. He
achieved it in May 1999 and served the liquor to the
guests at his Yokozuna Promotion party.

He became a Japanese citizen in January 1996. 

Incidentally Akebono also played football but he was
more of basketball star. He did go to a college with a
basketball scholarship but he could not get along with
the coach who would not let him take necessary
lectures to pass the school curriculum. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


7. Takanosato Toshihide - 59th Yokozuna
Born: Sep 29, 1952
Dohyo Debut: July 1968
Retired: January 1986

When Takanosato just entered high school, he was
introduced to a supporter from 
Futagoyama Beya to join. He was reluctant as he just
started the high school and also had an achilles
injury. But he was persuaded to just have a visit so
he agreed. He took a train to Tokyo with another
recruit who later became Yokozuna Wakanohana I. What
are the odds of two young boys from Aomori in the same
train, both becoming yokozuna later in their life?

Once staying at the heya for a week, he received a
letter from his teacher as well as a "Good luck" card
from his classmates with an article from a local paper
reporting his joining a sumo beya. Then he realized he
had actually joined Ozumo. He then knew that he could
not go back anymore and decided to stay.

While in Makushita, he discovered from a Kyokai
physical exam that he developed a 
diabetes which caused him to be so exhausted all the
time. He asked his shisho to admit him to a clinic to
help cure it. 

He then stopped drinking (he was a heavy drinker who
could drink three bottles of whiskey in one sitting
with no ill effects) and started studying nutrition so
he could count how much calories he could consume at
every meal. 

Once in a bout against Fujisakura, he landed on his
behind after tachiai due to low blood sugar level, so
he immediately bought a portable glucose level device
so he could manage his glucose level before every
bout. He dedicated himself to controlling the disease
and after 10 years he did conquer it.

He was well known for researching his opponents
throughly and he devoted his full time in studying
Chiyonofuji by reviewing the video of his bouts. There
were folklores about his visitors leaving his place in
disgust or his video recorder heads broken so many
times as he watched the tapes all day. 

Takanosato believed winning against Chiyonofuji was
worth two or three wins against 
anyone else. And it did produce the result as
Takanosato beat Chiyonofuji eight 
consecuetive times from 1981 to 1982. "Whatever I
tried to do, he'd read me completely," Chiyonofuji
complained.

He was promoted to yokozuna in 1983 and won Yusho in
his first Yokozuna basho. But that was the best record
he ever achieved as yokozuna. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

8. Haguroyama Masaji - 36th Yokozuna 
Born: November 18, 1914
Died: Oct. 14, 1969 (54 years old)
Dohyo Debut: January 1934
Retired: September 1953

Haguroyama was a third child of a farmer in Niigata.
He wanted to manage a public 
bathhouse. He went to Tokyo in 1929 to learn the trade
at his aunt's bathhouse "Asashiya" located in Ryogoku.
This was the place where he was discovered by then
Tatsunami oyakata and persuaded to join Ozumo. He kept
refusing the invitation but the oyakata came to see
him every day and he finally relented. 

He had a good power and could even lift up his
opponents by once getting the mawashi by using his
right. He often displayed powerful uwate-nage throws.
He won Yusho at every level and was promoted to
Makuuchi spending only the minimum one basho at each
level starting from Jonokuchi. 

He loved brutal training sessions. Even after becoming
yokozuna, at jyungyo tours he'd go outside rain or
shine or snow. He often would get a dozen sekitoris
and do training sessions with them for several hours.
When they got so exhausted, they could not continue
anymore then he would find younger rikishis to
continue training. Through long and hard training he
developed such a firm physique that his training
opponents often hated to have training sessions with
him as tackling against him was like going against a
brick wall.

Haguroyama competed under the shadow of the great
Futabayama. After Futabayama retired, he kept Ozumo
alive when the Japanese society was still going
through the turmoils after the World War II. 

His power of endurance and mental tenacity are
legendary. In 1946, he lost his wife and then three
weeks later his oldest son. Despite the tradedy he
fulfilled his responsibility by not only participating
in the November Basho but also winning all of 
his bouts. 

In the 1953 Hatsu Basho, he broke his right thumb when
Futaseyama bit it on the Day 4 but he did not take a
kyujo as the other three yokozunas were not doing
well. 
In his active career, he separated achilles twice,
considered then to be the career 
ending injury. But each time he made a miracluous
comeback and through it all, he 
competed as yokozuna for 12 years, a truly magnificent
feat. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

9. Tochinoumi Teruyoshi - 49th Yokozuna 
Born: March 13, 1938
Dohyo Debut: September 1955
Retired: Nevember 1966

His father and his older brother competed in local
sumo events in Aomori so he loved sumo since he was
going to elementary school. He went to Hirosaki
Jitsugyo High School (this is the same school
Iwakiyama and Takamisakari attended later on) and he
initially belonged to the baseball club but switched
to the sumo club in his third year. 

During the summer Chiyonoyama and Tochinishiki led
their troops to a nearby town as a part of their
Jyungyo Tour. With the group he met his old classmate
at middle school again, his name was Ichinoya Toutaro
(whose highest rank was Maegashira 4 with career total
of 7 Makuuchi bashos). 

The young Tochinoumi was so impressed with Ichinoya
that he asked Ichinoya's uncle to introduce him to
someone at a heya. He met Tochinishiki and then
decided to join Ozumo right away without telling the
school that he was quitting. 

The school officials only found out he joined Ozumo
after a newspaper reported that 
Tochinoumi became an "Ichiban Shusse" rikishi after
his Mae-zumo debut in the fall. 

He was a small rikishi (177 cm tall, 110 kg) but he
used his speed and sharp techniques to become a very
successful rikishi. However going against bigger
opponents like Taiho and Kashiwado took a toll as he
eventually suffered a severe hernia. 

Due to the injury, he finished his career never
realizing his true potential. He was only 28 years old
when he retired.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

10. Asashio Taro - 46th Yokozuna 
Born: November 13, 1929
Died: October 23, 1988
Dohyo Debut: October 1948
Retired: January 1962

Asashio was already a big kid when he was in an
elementary school so even though he hated sumo, he was
often asked to compete at sumo events. Though he was
not an outgoing type, he hated to lose so much that he
practiced so hard to get better. 

After a while he started getting interested in
becoming a rikishi, he got his uncle's friend who was
a sumo captain at Meiji University to introduce him to
Maedayama of Takasago Beya.

Then a problem arose. At the time (in 1946) he was
living in Tokunoshima island, it was under the
jurisdiction of the United States. He smuggled himself
out of the island in a cargo ship. 

He used Kobe City as his "hailing from" place until
1954 when the island was restored to Kagoshima
Prefecture by a charter. 

Yokozuna Asashio was incredibly strong once he got the
right mawashi and then squeezed his opponents with
both arms. But his lower body was not as strong (he
was tall) so it's been often said there was a strong
Asashio and a weak Asashio. 

As he was a gentle soul with a happy and cheerful
personality, he was very popular with kids and women.
Many women found him to be very attractive. He became
Yokozuna in the April of 1959 but due to an injury and
his less than tenacious and fierce character, he has
never became a great yokozuna many thought he would
become one day. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 



=====
.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique      &#24515;&#12288;&#25216;&#12288;&#20307;&#12288;>

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